“He recognizes how important you are to the defense of our country,” Williamson said. “Now it is time to prove him right.

“There are thousands of other federal workers that will be furloughed, which makes our critical job that much more important. We must do it well. We must do it right the first time. And we must do it efficiently.”

This intervention by the Secretary is like a breath of fresh air, but it goes without saying that the other across-the-board cuts associated with sequestration don’t make sense and will do more harm than good.

Slashing Head Start, education for children with disabilities, nutrition assistance for seniors, public health, law enforcement and more without rhyme or reason is just plain foolish.

Perhaps all of the shipyard workers who have been spared can help lobby Congress to pass a budget that makes sense for the rest of the country that hasn’t been so lucky.

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